Automatic fire-service valve.



E. V. ANDERSON.

AUTOMATIC FIRE SERVICE VALVE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1915.

1,1 89,335. Patented Jul 4, 1916.

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Y J -/B- 0 1/ WITNESS E. V. ANDERSON. AUTOMATIC FIRE SERVICE VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED mAYs. 1915.

1,1 89,335. Patented July 4,1916.

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To all whom it may concern a citizenof the United States, residing at Monexen, in the vState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire-Service Valves, of which the following is a spoolfication.

My' invention relates to valves employed for automatically extinguishing fires, and its more particular objects are to provide means for maintaining a reduced pressure normally in the line, and at the same time provide for automatically and certainly opening the line wide in case of fire.

Other objects are to simplify the construction and operation of fire service valves, to'

render more certain and generally improve the operation of such valves.

The invention is shown in several preferred forms in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectionof the main valve with its operating devices. Fig. 2 is a similar section-of a modified form of the device. Fig. 3 is a further modification of the same.

The operation of the valve to open or close is accomplished by pressure from the low pressure side of the same, and the valve is arranged to open a small amount as occasion requires in order to maintain a predetermined low pressure in the pipe beyond the valve. This pipe (or branch of it) is, however, continued to a point where a fire extinguishing liquid may be needed, and its end closed by a fusible plug, and the design is such that upon any sudden and large. reduction of pressure in the pipe, as by the fusing of saidplug, the main valve is opened entirely and assured of remaining open. Thus in Fig. 1 1 provide in the main line 4 a valve casing 5, with a partition 6, having a valve seat 7, closed by a valve 8, which opens to the outlet side 9 leading to the place where the fire extinguishing liquid may be required. The casing 5 has connected to it a chamber 10 with a flexible diaphragm 11 attached to the stem 12 of the main valve 8. By means of a port (13) and passage (14:)

Specification of Letters latent.

Application fled Kay 5, 1915.- Serial No. 26,070.

Patented July 4,1916.

and small port I (1 5) governed by a ball check 16,,thepressure on the low side of the I main valve is introduced into the operating chamber (M) above the diaphragm 11. It

will be seen that the fluid can only flow at a slow rate through this restricted port (15) and that in any case upon asudden upward rush of great pressure from port (13), on opening thevalve 8, the ball check 16 will close the port (15). Connected tothe chamber (M) I attach a small pipe 17 having its outlet to the air closed by the plug valve 18, which is normally held firmly to its seat by a pivoted arm 19, and a tri ger 20. The trigger 20 stands in the path 0% an adjustable nut or lug 21 on the top of the valve stem 12.

A bracket 22 fixed on the main casing 5 in the usual manner carries the usual hand operating screw 23 for manually closing the valve when desired.

Supposing the left hand end. of the main line 9 to be stopped by a fusible plug, it will be seen that a small pressure, governed by the proportional areas of the valve 8 and the diaphragm 11, will be maintained in the line by feeding the chamber (M) with fluid through the ports (13), (14), (15), and the valve 8 will be closed except when this small amount of pressure is reduced by. leakage or otherwise. When the fusible plug gives way in the line 9, reducing the pressure therein to a very low point, the fluid in the chamber (M) may return by the port (15), and relieve the pressure above the diaphragm 11; whereupon the main valve will rise fully, eventually covering up the port (15), and the nut 21 will strike and trip the trigger 20, releasing lever 19 and valve 18, and therefore relieving the chamber completely, and making it impossible for an accumulation of pressure through port (15) upon filling the line to reestablish pressure in the chamber (M) and again close the valve. This not only because the port (15) is smaller than the pipe .17, but when the stem 12 rises fully the port destruction of the fusible plug or otherwise thepressure in chamber (M) will escape by the ports 15, 14, 13, and the main valve and its stem 12 will rise and break the glass plate 25, thus establishing free communication between the chamber (M) and the atmosphere. The ball check 16 will as before close the port (15) to prevent escapement from the pipe line after pressure is established in the pipe 9. 1

In Fig. 3 I have shown another modification, in which the structure is substantially the same as Fig. 1, with the exception that the pipe 17 carrying the escape valve 18, lever 19, and trigger 20, are so placed .that thetrigger 20 may be tripped by the movement of lever 26 fixed on the spindle 27 of a butterfly valve 28 in the pipe line 9.

This is operated by the sudden rush of pressure when the main valve 8 is opened, as will be understood without further description.

By each of these devices I arrange for operating the valve by the pressure on the outlet side, which, among other advantages, has the advantage of constantly testing the line and the fusible plug, of using less pressure, and of'lessening the leakage. When the valve once. opens it-is by very simple means assured of opening fully and prevented from any possibility of closing again. Thestructure is simple and contains nothing to get out of order. Other advantages will readily occur to those familiar with the art.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim is the 01- lowing r 1. A combined pressure reducing and emergency valve comprising a casing with a partition having a valve seat therein, a valve having a hollow stem communicating with the delivery side of the valve, a supplementary chamber having a movable pressure diaphragm of greater area than the main valve, with the chamber above it in communication with said hollow valve stem, a small valve between the hollow stem and said chamber adapted to prevent a sudden and large'flow of fluid therethrough, and means to establish communication between the diaphragm chamber andthe outside air when the main valve opens a material distance, substantially as described.

with the d trespass V 2; An automatic fire service valve comprising a casing, a main valve therein, a presure chamber communicating with the delivery side of the valve casing, a movable wall'in said chamber, a connection between said wall and valve, a normally closed passage from the pressure chamber to the outer atmosphere and means operated by excessive movement of the connection between the wall and the valve to open said passage and relieve the pressure chamber.

3. A fire service valve comprising a casing, a main valve, a pressure diaphragm connected with the valve stem, and a diaphragm chamber normally maintained at a reduced pressure from the outlet side of the valve, but provided with a valved port adapted to permit only a small flow of fluid toward said chamber, and to exhaust said chamber when the low pressure side of the main valve loses its pressure, a pipe connect-' ing said chamber with the outside air and closed by a valve having a device adapted to cooperate with the main valve stem to establish communication between said chamber and the outside air.

4. The combination with a pipe line having a fluid supply on one side, and a closed pipe on the other, with a fusible plug therein, of a combined emergency and reducing valve comprising a main valve, a supplemental chamber with a pressure diaphragm attached to the main valve stem, a valved port connecting the low pressure side of the main valve with the top side of said pressure dia phragm chamber, and means operated by any sudden and considerable opening of the main valve to completely exhaust the pressure in said diaphragm chamber, substantially as described.

5. A combined reducing valve and emergency valve comprising a casing having a perforated partition and a supplementary chamber, a valve closing the perforation of the partition mounted on a stem carrying a movable wall dividing said supplementary chamber, suitable orts and passages connecting the delive side of the casing with one of the sub-divisions of said supplement chamber, and a valve operating to permit small and gradual flow into and out of said chamber but preventing large and sudden flow into the chamber, whereby the reducing valve may be opened entirely by a sudden reduction of pressure on the outlet side, and having been opened interrupts communication between the outlet side and said chamber, substantially as described.

6. An emergency valve comprising a casing-with a perforated partition carrying a valve seat, a supplementary chamber of greater area than said valve seat, a main valve havin eli ivery side of the casing, a mova hollow stem communicating able wall on said stem and completely dividfrom said chamber to the atmosphere, and

. ing said supplementary chamber, a port conmeans on the valve stem to open said outlet necting sald stem with the supplemental port when the stem has risen beyond a pre- 10 chamber, and a pilot valve mounted therein determined and adjustable limit.

5 to seat in the direction of the chamber, but In testimony whereof I have hereunder only upon sudden rush of fluid theresigned my name. through, and a normally closed outlet port EDWARD V; ANDERSON. 

